Tuesday, January 14, 2014

DIY Diamond Tufted Ottoman with Tutorial

After lots of searching for an ottoman without any luck. I decided I would try my hand at converting an old oak coffee table into an ottoman. I have such fond memories of being newlyweds & having an itty-bitty budget and re-upholstering furniture & transforming old unwanted pieces into family-favorites. So, I thought I would share my latest project in case you want to give it a try!

Here is what you'll need:

Table

Upholstery Fabric{Never use silk/thin fabrics}

Upholstery Nails

2-3 inch High Density Foam{I used 2 inch via Hobby Lobby}

Loctite 300 Spray Adhesive {Hardware store}

Batting{2 layers}

Screws {#8}

Washers{#8}

Small buttons

Glue gun

Scissors

Measuring tape

Drill gun

*Make sure you have 3-4 inches of extra fabric on all sides. I made the mistake of only having 2 inches and didn't have enough fabric to wrap the ottoman how I'd planned. So learn from my mistake:)!

After painting mine I went ahead and measured & cut the foam to fit the top of the table. After that I sprayed the adhesive to all the foam pieces being glued & pressed them together for about 45 seconds.{It would have been nice to have an electric knife for this task but it isn't necessary}

This is what it looked like after it was dry. Don't worry if the edges & seams don't look perfect, because you will be cover it all with two layers of batting. No one will ever notice once it's all done:)!

The next step was the most time consuming. Using the tape measure, I measured the table & marked where I was going to put my buttons. I wanted my Diamonds to be about 8 inches apart and 7 inches High.

I started by finding the center & marking the center lines. After that I measured 7 inches from the center{going up/North}, I did this repeatedly on every line on that axis until I was done.

Then on the remaining rows{along the center line}, I measured & marked every eight inches and made a line.

Once, all the lines were done, I could clearly see where I needed to place the buttons. Below is how mine looked:).

Next step was to cut the button holes out. I just made a rectangular 1 inch cut that reached all the way to the table. In order to make it easy for the screw & washer to have as little resistance when it's going into the table.

Once all your plug-holes are cut, you'll cover the foam with batting. Make sure to poke your fingers in all the button holes, so the batting goes towards the table. It will look like this once it's done.

Grab your washers & screws{It doesn't matter if they don't match, no one will ever see them}

Next you will add your upholstery fabric, using your drill gun, screw in the washer & screw.

Starting in one corner of the table working on the horizontal rows first, poke the fabric all the way into the button-hole. Make sure you still have plenty of fabric on the sides.

It's important that as you move to each button that you don't pull the fabric taut or else it will create unwanted indentations. The diamond folds will be created after all the screws are in.Then, continue this until all the horizontal rows are done. {So, go toward the row that is directly across from the first button/row you started with }Which will leave the vertical lines that we mapped out in the beginning un-done.Once you are done with the horizontal rows, you'll go back and work on the rows you skipped. This is when your gorgeous diamonds come to life.

As you hold the fabric inside the button hole, you'll use the other hand to work/tuck in the fold so that it creates the diamond. Basically you are just taking up all the extra slack, removing the wrinkles inside the sides that create the diamond. This will take a while, so just be patient:).

Once all the tufting is done, you can start on the sides. Pull the extra fabric between each button so that it is smooth & secure that area with staples.

Do not staple where the pleat is until you have gathered all the excess fabric into it...

In this picture you can see how the pleat is directly below the side button. Once that is in place you can staple the fabric underneath the table and add your upholstery nails.

This is what it should look like when it is done.

I put my nails about 3 inches apart.

Once all the sides are done, It's time to cover up the buttons with fabric and glue them on top of your screws.

This takes a while but once it's done, so are you:)!

This is the finished product

I am still undecided on the white, I'm thinking I might paint it a darker grey. Any Suggestions?

If you decide to give the diamond tufted ottoman a try, I'd love to see how yours turns out!